A prominent member of Bakersfield, California, has been accused of 12 felony gun charges after the Department of Justice raided his home last month, according to local media. Law enforcement justified the raid using images the man had uploaded to the California Firearms Application Reporting System in an attempt to comply with the state’s new registration requirements.

The California DOJ claims that the rifle Jeffrey Scott Kirschenmann tried to register was “illegally modified,” though they haven’t said how. Kirschenmann has been charged with nine counts of assault weapon possession, two counts of silencer possession, and one count of possessing a “multiburst trigger activator.”

Second Amendment Foundation Founder Alan Gottlieb told GunsAmerica via email that even though not all the facts of this case have been disclosed, “on the surface there is cause for concern.”

Gottlieb also pointed out that a case like this could discourage other Californians from complying with the new law that requires registration of “bullet button assault weapons.”

“At this point, I do think it will deter compliance with the new California law as there is already great mistrust of the state by gun owners and this just fuels that mistrust,” he said.

California passed a law last year banning AR and AK-type rifles fitted with “bullet buttons,” small modifications that allowed users to more quickly detach a magazine with the use of a tool. The legislature allowed those who already legally possessed such weapons to keep them by registering the rifles and obtaining a serial number from the state.

Registration must be completed by July 1, 2018, and includes the submission of four photos: close-up of the bullet button style magazine on the firearm, stock to barrel (with the firearm lying horizontally on a flat surface), left side of the receiver/frame, right side of the receiver/frame.

For his attempts to comply with the new law Kirschenmann is facing years behind bars.

Joe Pilkington, a retired commander from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office where Bakersfield is located, told local media that California’s gun laws are changing so fast that it’s almost impossible to keep up.

“Just in the last few years, there have been lots of changes in gun laws,” he said. “Making an effort, a good faith effort to comply with these really complicated laws, should count for something.”

Kirschenmann is the CEO of Scott Kirschenmann Farms, Inc., which shares a mailing address with Kirschenmann Farms, Inc., the local grower known for its potatoes used by Frito Lay to make chips.

Kirschenmann is out on a $150,000 bond, and his first hearing is scheduled for later this month. We’ve reached out to Kirschenmann and are awaiting comment.

About the author:Jordan Michaels has been reviewing firearm-related products for over two years and enjoying them for much longer. With family in Canada, he’s seen first hand how quickly the right to self-defense can be stripped from law-abiding citizens. He escaped that statist paradise at a young age, married a sixth-generation Texan, and currently lives in Waco.

Perfect example of why the tree of liberty must be refreshed. Our taxpayer dollars being allocated to programs that work to take American freedoms away. Keep on pushing the American Patriots and suffer the consequences. WE THE PEOPLE are done with our treasonous non-government so take note of the quote from ADMIRAL ISOROKU YAMAMOTO-WE HAVE AWAKENED A SLEEPING GIANT.

If you are an American attempting to comply with the illegitimate laws, Kaliforniastan mullahs will charge you with felonies….If you are a multi-deported illegal alien criminal who stole a gun from a federal agent and murdered an American citizen, you are defended with $$millions$$ of tax dollars and set free. Sounds like PRNK needs to test their nukes on Sacramento.

I feel bad for most Californians. They are just like more and more states where the cities, made up largely of people paying little or nothing into the tax base, vote to keep these liberals in office. Many of the eastern states are the same, MD, PA, NJ, Mass. Virginia is becoming almost as bad after Obama inflated the federal government with make believe jobs to artificially improve the unemployment numbers his admin. caused and most of them moved to MD and VA. Just watch any election and where the red and blue are found. The liberals (often democrats) have small geographic areas paying almost nothing in property taxes, etc. and a high number of those on Gov. assistance who use everything but pay in little or nothing. The blue, usually carrying most of the financial burden for these states but having less density in numbers of voters get left holding the bill and having no say in how the money is spent or what laws are passed. In the 1990’s a republican ran for Governor in MD, she won all but one county and Baltimore city and still lost the election…… Its hard for people in other states that don’t have this issue of a couple big cities calling all the shots to wrap their heads around not having a vote. Hopefully CA will be successful in creating another state in the north and let southern CA implode themselves. It will never happen though since southern CA know they can’t survive their ridiculous ways without the Northern CA’s money.

Except that if a law is so vague that it can not be understood , then it would otherwise be unconstitutional ! They intentionally did this with the NY S.A.F.E. law. You can not get any written opinion from the NY state AG, or NYSP. I know, i tried. They tell you to hire a lawyer to interpret the law. REALLY ? They say that you can “permanently modify ” a firearm to be compliant, yet there is NOTHING in the law that explains what would constitute “permanent” !

WTF is going on with the Communist state of California. Rationing water, restricting gun rights creating homelessness second only to another Communist state Hawaii. Now arresting citizens that are trying to comply with their stupidness. Thank God I live in a free state.

Well, that’s California for you,,,, If I lived in California, I’d be looking to move out and let the Mexican invaders topple the government there.
Then the Dems would be automatically down 55 electoral votes in the national election.

Unfortunately, Californians are moving. Now they’re taking their asinine political ideas elsewhere and will eventually ruin more states, just like they did California. We should all be encouraging Californians to stay there! It’s so wonderful there, please stay!

I was told by a gun dealer that the best way to go was to go Featureless (fixed stock pinned $3)(muzzle brake $15)(paddle grip with thumb rest $10). In addition, if you sell out of state, the parts can be reversed.

Another honest citizen doing his best to follow an unjust and unconstitutional law is now a felon. Listen California, wake up and smell the coffee. The piroblem is not with guns and their owners, its with your liberal anti American government. Vote those progs out and repeal the stupid gun laws.

We can talk all day and night about how we are being bullied by our government, we all seem to have valid reasons.
BUT, talking isn’t going to fix anything, it never has, never will.
The constitution was made up to protect our rights, AND to fight to preserve them!
Until that happens, we’ll keep reading these stories, and be rounded up at will, and locked down as long as our government feels fit.
How did we get this country and make up our constitution?
By killing every fricking person who dared/thought they could bully us.

Progressive Liberals are communists and communism is a threat to our constitution and way of life. Many of these progressives and elitists are also.luciferians which make them the enemy in two ways and what do you do to the enemy?

Anyone who would do such a thing as this, is an innocent lamb among wolves! People wake up! Don’t tell on yourselves, there are legal means by which California communists can get the information they want you to give them, MAKE THEM DO THEIR OWN JOB AFTER ALL THAT’S WHY YOU PAY TAXES. REMEMBER THEY WORK FOR YOU AND NOT VICE-VERSA. This article is GR8 example of what to expect by doing their bidding. Stand up for yourselves “JUST SAY NO” there are more of us than there are of them.

I’m a Californian who’s entire life has in someway revolves around firearms and/or the hunting/outdoors industry. I work as an instructor here, and in the last couple years classroom time has been a challenge simply with everyone wanting to know the most up to date laws, needing clarification and because I am not a legal advisor, I can only give them the info I have…that’s good for that week! It is maddening to see this happen.

As for Mr. Kirschenmann, that’s a perfectly horrible example of where we are. I do see in many many different sites the majority of folks saying “You just need to move…get out of there!!!” And as others have stated, it’s not that simple. People have families settled here, businesses they can’t just uproot and take to a more gun friendly state. I also here that it’s time to CommieFornia (I call it that too), to succeed from the union. Well, there’s a problem with both those statements.
1) To succeed from the rest of the US means people like myself and Scott Kirschenmann who live in areas of California that do not agree with the rest of the state’s gun laws. I’m from Clovis (Fresno County), which is very comverative, to the north I have Madera county, even more conservative and to the south, Mr. Kirschenmann’s home town of Bakersfield in Kern County which is very very similar to Fresno County (If not mistaken those 3 counties alone have issued more CCW permits than the rest of the state combined. Where I live, if you don’t have a record and want a permit, need a good cause statement and “I want to be able to protect myself” is all that’s required…of course the class required as well).

Now to jump back on track… So, you have counties, cities, towns like I just mentioned which make up a large portion of the state BUT, we’re vastly outnumbered by the 20+ million that live in only L.A. and San Francisco, the most liberal lefty places a person can ever fathom. So, unfortunately we have 2 counties that “make the rules” for the rest of us who still want to live in America and practice our freedoms.

2) Now to the “You just have to MOVE!!!” part. As I mentioned, family and jobs aren’t that easy to simply uproot and move to a different state. And if it was, in this current climate, where can I move to that I know won’t become another California in the next couple years? 2yrs ago I would have said “maybe Florida…not too too far off from California and WAY more gun friendly…” Not so much as of today and I don’t believe it’s going to stop getting worse. As others have mentioned, many Californians have moved but, unfortunately not the kind who you’ll find defending the 2A on a site like this. Yes, they bring their ass backwards CommieFornia values with them and states like OR, WA, and so on have felt it. I recently had a friend who did move out of state after 50yrs of living in the valley. The hardest part he ran in to was finding a broker who would actually show him a house knowing he was coming from California. When he told one agent he wanted to get out of CA the agent said, “don’t come here…we don’t like you people.” LOL!!! He explained why he was moving and did finally find a place in ID but, that goes to prove what others have said.

And lastly for me personally on the “just move!” idea. If I had ZERO family here or could simply pick up my business and go elsewhere, well, I don’t know if I would. To me, “you need to move!!!” means “you need to run away from your problems,” and excuse my bluntness but, I don’t run away. I never have, never will and it’s going to take people like me who do refuse to be pushed out to keep this place in check. Will the small numbers of people like myself be able to make an overnight change? Heck no! Will it maybe slow the process, make these lawmakers think a little more and bare minimum, keep the pressure on? Sure, at least a little bit. As Edmond Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Running away is good men doing NOTHING. But, in the meantime everyone keep the last of us somewhat normal folks in this crazy state in your prayers for the sanity of those like myself…please, we can use all the help we can get!!!

This article is misleading. The bullet button was not designed to speed up the process of changing mags. It was created to slow it down.
“California passed a law last year banning AR and AK-type rifles fitted with “bullet buttons,” small modifications that allowed users to more quickly detach a magazine with the use of a tool. “

I don’t feel sorry for Californians they keep voting in these Social ‘st lefty’s over and over and over and over and over, and they get they get taxed into the stratosphere over and over and over and over and over, they outlaw there 2nd Amendment, make illegals legal, essentially letting these democrats destroy there state and they just keep voting more and more of these Democrats into office, over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over INSANITY doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results. Kind of hard to feel sorry for California when they keep self inflecting pain on them selves and the rest of the country isn’t it.

“California’s gun laws are changing so fast that it’s almost impossible to keep up”
By design and fully-intended. Legislative harassment requires laws that cannot be followed, and can be selectively-enforced. If everyone is a criminal, anyone can be arrested anytime at the discretion of the overlords.

I’m sure the fact that he was a CEO of a prosperous company had nothing to do with it, right? *lol* Just another tactic of the tyrannical left to wield power and steal money by whatever means necessary.

It will get much worse – for everyone – before enough people are fed up with it and decide to solve the problem…when that time comes, hopefully it’s not too late.

Since the take over of California, the liberal left has just about destroyed this once great state. People are moving out of here in droves, (me included). This state is billions of dollars in debt, but you will never hear that from Gov. Brown, nor any Democrat holding office in this state. Gov. Brown brags about balancing the budget, but nothing about how he has put California deep in debt. Well, you not getting my guns, period. I will be moving very soon, and i have lived here since 1959. Good by California, you liberals, welfare junkies, illegals can have this rat hole now.

This guy is an idiot. Why the hell would take pictures of your firearms and submit it to the DOJ if they were not compliant. Everyone knows that the registration process is filled with landmines to make you an instant felon. Why the hell would you submit pictures to California DOJ with silencers. I hope these were faux silencers.

CRAP did a whole video on the process and the traps it seems the DOJ set up in the process. For example it gives you the option to register guns that should have been register in the first ban. Why would they do that? Why would they give you that option. (People have already been arrested for trying to do just that). There are so many land mines. If you register the gun in your name and your wife or kids take it to the range and your not with them they are now felons.

You also have the option to go featureless which then give you the option not to register your rifles. I know many hardcore gun guys who are running all their rifles featureless. This keeps you legal and you don’t have to register your rifles. This also removes the bullet button and allows you to run the gun with the normal mag release.

Looking at the picture of Jerry Brown talking the guy on his right appears to be checking out Jerry’s ass.
I have no use for any of those pole smoking fudge packers, the sooner the big one hits and it slides into the ocean the better.

Kris, I believe the guy looking at Moonbeam’s A$$ is the one and only Kevin DeLeon. Another commie ba$tard in the Kalifornia legislature who is constantly screwing with us “Normal” citizens. he is a definite a$$hole who once made a public video stating that “…this gun (AR15) can fire 30 rounds a second…” If I could leave now I would be gone but alas I need my job, but once retired……I AM OUTTA HERE!!!

By the way DeLeon is from San Francisco so no doubt he is ogling Jerry’s a$$. As far as voting them out of office goes…we can’t they get all of the illegal votes and “regular” conservative Americans are a minority here.

It’s time to let Californication to secede from the Union. Those which choose to remain in the Union [personal and business] should be given fair opportunity to relocate elsewhere. Property and wealth shall move unhindered; fixed assets are either sold at latest tax assessed value or same value paid by the state. Those wishing to immigrate into the region should be allowed without prejudice. At a given date; all U.S. responsibilities and commercial ties are cut. Severe border law is imposed [with “Use of Deadly Force Authorized”]. All diplomatic treaties and commercial agreements start on “new” paper – meaning California gets zero material or financial aid from the U.S.

Ironically coming from the state that worships marijuana and detests guns, it uses a form of registration that requires a person to incriminate himself, or face criminal prosecution, or register and face criminal prosecution. Therefore it identifies a “select group of persons” for criminal prosecution regardless of the legality of what is actually possessed.

It would be a delicious irony if the state were taken to the mat on this one, using of course: Leary.

I am originally from Bakersfield, CA, which is in Kern County, CA. Kern County, Bakersfield specifically, has been one of the more conservative cities in CA. It’s a small farming and oil community with strong family values. I know the Kirschenmann’s. They were a client of mine while I lived there, very good people. They are kind and generous, and very involved in the community. This is horrible that it happens to anyone, but especially such a good family that has tried to help so many others. CA is out of control. My brother is a FFL dealer in Bakersfield, but is closing his business at the end of the year because CA has Become I restrictive it is nearly impossible to stay current on their laws and have viable products to sell to the public.

However, this is a prime example of why law abiding citizens should NEVER register their guns. Same thing would have happened if he got caught with the weapon unregistered, except it would have been much much harder for them to ever catch the unregistered firearms.

I moved from CA 4 years ago and will never go back as long as it remains anti-American values.

As many have said, gun laws only effect the law abiding…here it is for all to see. Guy complying with the law is prosecuted. If only his name was moon beam Brown…then he could violate the law all day long and brag about it… I’d say I’m an illegal if I was him.

At this point getting to H… out of the insanity (that which is called California) will likely turn out to have been the cheaper option. I would have liked to one day visit the Leftist coast from top to bottom. Now it seems to be all bottom and I refuse to go there. Why would any sane person stay?

Problem is when Californians move they take their politics with them. I’m old enough to remember when they started invading Oregon in the late 60’s. Washington state was next, followed more recently by Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. Texas will be the next to turn blue. My home state of Arizona could well follow them. Idaho will hold out for a while, Utah will quite possibly be the last holdout in this region. Just my observations over the last 50 years.

John L. I am a Californian and a 15 year Marine Gulf War and Iraqi Freedom Veteran. Not all Californians are the leftist scum like you say. Some of us who were born here are hard charging Conservatives trying to change this shameful situation in our beloved state. The people you are talking about are the ones we want gone from the state anyhow. Liberalism is like a cancer here but passed on to the kids of the left, sadly creating more voters wanting to take away our Second Amendment rights mainly because they are too brain dead to think for themselves. I will probably be moving my family out of California soon as well, but my vote will always be red!

This is the reason outdoorsman unfriendly states like CA and IL have people leaving or wanting to leave but are trapped. The solution is to vote out liberals who want to punish the law abiding with laws that do just that and nothing more.

Tell them nothing.They can’t seize what they don’t know you have. Do not comply with their unconstitutional infringements. If you do actually have to use the rifle it will still be better to be alive to fight them in court than be dead because you complied.

California seized AAK47 that was stolen from me and they refused to send it back… it Was completely Legal Unless the thieves. Modified it.. It should be returned to me because it was stolen . I had the serial numbers in everything but they refused to send it back to the police department that is trying to get it back for me I call That theft from the state of California

The majority of the voters voted for this insane government tyranny because they have no idea what their rights and responsibilities are under the constitution. These laws and actions are clearly unconstitutional violations of the second amendment, the fifth amendment and possibly others. These are why I left as soon as I could.

I take it that Jeffrey Scott Kirschenmann is not an illegal alien. Liberals are a threat to everything that is great about this nation. Criminal illegals are OK but honest American gun owners are prosecuted. Total upside down, moronic liberalism. The California DOJ (aka SS Gestapo) are a threat to our freedom and should be treated as such. The British tried disarming Americans at a time when Americans had a backbone. The government of California is no less a threat.

Of course I find one comment here blaming President Trump for “Moonbeam” Brown’s crimes. Under the reign of Jerry Brown (courtesy the communist voters) there has been extensive attacks on Freedom & Liberty….for every year of Moonbeam’s multiple gubernatorial terms (courtesy the communist voters).

Again Brown, not President Trump, attacks a productive, Caucasian male attempting to comply with Kaleeforneeya’s ludicrous firearms “laws”. Yet, in the meantime Brown has ignored federal law regarding immigration/invasion of his “Republic”.

Brown and his communist supporters deserve a short rope and a tall tree.

Rather than a rope and a tall tree ……… my solution would include an albeit more expensive barbell weight chained to their ankles and a short boat ride to the Farallon Islands. Each of those treasonous, marxist, cerebrally deficient, a$$wipes would also get an all expenses paid trip aboard the aforementioned boat ride, enough air supply for about ten minutes, just enough so that they’d be conscious when the “men in the grey suits” came to greet them.

Tying a T-bone to the top of their heads would be a nice touch; adding a little panache on an otherwise dull day.

Surely, the rope and tree would be cheaper, but the video sent back to the corrupt Sacramento legislature of Gov. Moonbeam watching a Great White ripping his head off would be a far better motivator to get the rest of those leftard commie morons to remember the oath they took.

Anyway, the Farallones are so close by and the environment would be so willing to accommodate correcting the aberration of nature that has come to invade Sacramento. It just seems like the only eco-friendly thing to do.

Why continue to call California a state…? Let’s identify it for what it truly is… A communist country within the borders of America! I mean it’s crazy! The latest thing I heard is they passed a law governing how much water you can use per day..!! It’s no wonder freedom loving folks, are moving out in droves..

Wow. Seriously, this poor guys story should get picked up and repeated constantly by the NRA and other gun advocate groups. This is literally why gun registration and gun laws are an absolute mistake, which are grossly ineffective in accomplishing any where near what it is these brain dead anti-gun advocates, and reactionary politicians utilizing gun laws as a form of self-engrandizement to gain votes by stripping good citizens of their rights! Clearly gun registration does nothing to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, who will simply ignore the laws, and instead punishes respectful and responsible gun owners for their attempts at compliance with the ever increasingly complicated gun laws.

One things for sure, if I owned an AK styled rifle, I sure as hell would not be registering it with the government! It’s literally better just not to let the government know what you own, as doing as they ask clearly ends you up fighting arrests!

Well, since obeying the law gets prison sentences, and we as law abiding citizen’s want to do what’s right, then I guess it’s time to become the criminal and not do as they require in commifornia.

I am not sure how they can arrest based on assumption but they do.
The most unfortunate deal here is that we don’t have the money to fund lawyers to fight the system. They just take our tax dollars and keep on using it to prosecute us.

Sounds like a screwed up deal the feds have unlimited funds and power. But through the IRS we are forced to fund our own occusors and pay to be convicted on shabby half baked accusations.

He is accused of possessing two silencers and a multi-burst trigger activator. If he is in possession of these silencers without proper documentation, the federal stamps, or if he is in compliance with federal law but not state law for some reason, the reaction seems reasonable to me. If the court finds he is not in violation and his paperwork is in order, then I hope he can recover what he has lost from the state, be it time, treasure or something else.

I am curious what is meant by a multi-burst trigger activator – could that be a binary trigger or something to make it a three-shot burst? Binary triggers are legal at the federal level but I suspect it is very likely that they are not allowed within the state of California. Three-shot bursts are a no-no in all kinds of ways and if he is in possession of a firearm modified thusly, then they will probably take away everything including his birthday.

” If he is in possession of these silencers without proper documentation, the federal stamps, or if he is in compliance with federal law but not state law for some reason, the reaction seems reasonable to me.”

Why? This is where the comment goes stating “What part of shall not be infringed do you not understand?” The tax stamp is an infringement.

Blue Dog, I believe a binary trigger allows just two rounds to be fired, one as you pull the trigger, the other as you release the trigger. I don’t believe it can be described as “select fire” found on a M14 or M16, “M240”?.

I agree – the binary trigger is not correctly described as select fire and is something entirely separate from the kind of trigger enhancements that are meant to emulate fully automatic fire without being fully automatic.

I am unfamiliar with California law; I live in a jurisdiction with considerably looser firearm laws. I do not know if binary triggers are prohibited under California law. I would expect them to be outlawed in California and an illegal trigger modification to possess but I do not know that for sure.

your comment may mean something except this is not being done by the feds it’s the nuts in Cali. who are doing this. now, that that is clear it has zero to do with president Trump and everything to do with the commies of Cali. don’t you think? had your favorite 2 obummer and the hill still be in charge this would be happening nation wide.

For years, gun grabbers have accused us of paranoia, that tyranny doesn’t or won’t happen here. This proves that we were right and they were wrong. Follow the law? Go to jail. Don’t follow the law? Go to jail. If this isn’t one of the classic traits of tyrannical government, I don’t know what is.

If you tried to comply with the law that would make you a law abiding citizen, right? Heres the problem in Calif. you have hundreds of thousands of people in your sanctuary cities and you are gifting them all the rights and privileges of citizenship including gun ownership, can they pass a background check? sure if you use only information from US sources, have they ever been arrested for crimes in their home country? who knows, it wouldn’t show up in our info systems. Its easier to make criminals out of law abiding citizens than it is to go after actual criminals, after all they’er really dangerous.

There have already been cases where the courts, I think the 9th circus, er, circuit, has declared that criminals don’t have to abide by registration laws because that would be a violation of their 5th amendment rights against self incrimination. So if you break the law, you don’t have to follow the law. I’m sure that would make perfect sense to a lawyer.